Into the New Year.

A beautiful sunny, clear morning, but the temperature (outside) is a frigid -28C. Inside it is very comfortable.

Xmas Tree gone, and the front entrance area is now a cozy reading area. These two chairs came with us to Canada in 1958 and having been moved all around now have a new location. The small three cornered table looks as if it was made for there.



I can't believe how organised I am ! I remembered that the van's lease was due at the end of January, and instead of waiting to the last minute, did a load of research, visited three dealers and finally this past Monday found a super deal on a Pontiac Montana minivan. Choices are somewhat limited since we need a van to accomodate the wheelchair. Well, this new vehicule is just perfect for our needs. The middle row of seats is two bucket seats, instead of a bench, so it was fairly easy to just lift out one seat instead of a bench. Easier to store too ! Gabriel chose the colour. It is CRANBERRY RED with a grey interior. She says that there are too many blue cars and that this one will be easier to find in a parking lot, and for her to see when I have to fetch her. I can't believe all the features that are now standard on new cars. It will be nice having a switch to open/close the rear windows. Just a matter of convenience but handy. This car has "OnStar" an Orwellian touch to modern motoring. It is some sort of satellite connection. Press a button on the dash and someone answers, calling you by name. Amazing. I couldn't believe that they know ehere I am, and can direct me to where I want to go. Built in GPS. It also has a built in handsfree telephone that I haven't used yet. I need all my concentration to drive. The on-board info centre tells me how far I can drive on the amount of fuel in the tank, notifies me of the tire pressure in each wheel, the life expectancy of the oil and a whole host of other features. Yesterday I received an e-mail giving me an update on the status of the car, and recommends that I have the tire pressure verified. One tire is a bit low.
Here it is !

This will have to do for now. Being spoiled by the technology with the XM Radio and now with a hi- tech car, I'll have to do some serious work on a high speed computer link. It has taken about fifteen minutes to get these pictures loaded. Too much like hard work !

Have a great week.